Connecting Without the Internet

A flurry of short and long trips have kept me from setting a date for our family's next Technology-free Day, but I am thinking Saturday April 24 might be as good a time as any. We are definitely due to unplug -- I'm embarrassed to admit how many of our date nights lately have been accompanied by NetFlix. Who knew "Lost" could really be so compelling?

In an effort to inspire myself and hopefully others, here are five ideas for a fun, technology-free date night:

1) Arts and Crafts. Channel your inner kindergartener and pick something messy that you haven't done since you were five. This past week I made Easter egg baskets out of papier mache and dyed eggs to go inside them. If you are feeling more ambitious, why not try making a Pinhole Camera together?

2) Cook dinner together. Pick out a menu that matches your culinary skill level and spend the evening chopping, sauteeing, and garnishing together. With the right equipment, even making sushi at home is much easier than you might think.

3) Don't cook. Pick up a picnic. There is nothing more romantic than relaxing on a picnic blanket with finger food, a bottle of wine, and a beautiful view. Or, if April showers are ruining your picnic plans, take it inside in front of the fire place.

4) Play a board game. Sequence is our current favorite, but if you want to make it a double or triple date, a get-to-know-you game like Loaded Questions is sure to generate a lot of laughter and a new perspective on some of your friends.

5) Read aloud to each other. A happy couple I know swears that doing this every night is what keeps their marriage going. Choose whatever you enjoy, whether it be love poems, a short story, or the latest issue of The New Yorker. Read out loud. Discuss.

I'm delving into some reading of my own: "The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time" by Judith Shulevitz. From the inside flap: "In this erudite, elegantly written book, critic Judith Shulevitz weaves together histories of the Jewish and Christian sabbaths, speculations on the nature of time, and a rueful account of her personal struggle with the day." Intrigued? I sure was when I heard Terry Gross interview her. I'll review it in my next blog post.